PS 1283: Business, Politics, and Public Policy

Professor Woon

Fall 2007

Class Meetings Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00-4:15 pm 12B Chevron Science Center Office Hours Thursdays, 10:00-11:00 am or by appointment

Contact Information Email: woon@pitt.edu Office: 4810 Posvar Hall Phone: 412-648-7266

Course Description

This course examines the various intersections of business, politics, and public policy. The environment of business is composed of related market and nonmarket components. The nonmarket environment is characterized by social, political, and legal arrangements that structure activities of corporations outside of markets. Factors such as consumer boycotts, legislation, regulations, judicial decisions, and trade policy can have crucial consequences for firms’ market performance. Similarly, the market activities of firms often give rise to issues that involve governments and the public. For example, the design and manufacture of products may entail public policy concerns about safety and the environment, while the business strategies of some firms may raise questions about the government’s role in the protection of intellectual property or privacy.

SYLLABUS (PDF)

Final Project

• Instructions
• Group Assignments

PROJECT TOPICS DUE OCTOBER 22

Additional Readings

Wednesday, September 5

• Milton Friedman (1970), “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits”
• John Mackey (2005), “Rethinking the Social Responsibility of Business: Putting Customers Ahead of Investors”
• Responses by Friedman, Rodgers, and Mackey (2005), “Rethinking the Social Responsibility of Business”

Slides

· Congressional Procedure (1.6 MB)

· Median Voter Theorem (6.3 MB)

Midterm case

· Scrubbers and Environmental Politics